Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer

About the role

The Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer position is in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA).

OLA provides legislative counsel to the AO and the Judicial Conference; supports Judicial Conference committees; develops and promotes legislative initiatives; and promotes communication with and prepares and coordinates responses to inquiries from Congress, the executive branch, and other entities.

What you will do

• The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) is seeking an exceptional leader to serve as Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer.
• The Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer serves as the primary advisor to the Legislative Affairs Officer who serves as the senior legislative advisor to the AO Director.
• Together, the Legislative Affairs Officer and the Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer ensure OLA's mission, objectives, and goals are met.
• OLA carries out the judiciary's legislative liaison activities with Congress, other governmental entities, and private sector organizations.
• OLA works with the Judicial Conference of the United States (JCUS) and its committees to develop policy positions on legislative issues, promotes legislative initiatives, identifies and monitors congressional activity impacting the judiciary, and develops and coordinates responses to policy and legislative inquiries from Congress.
• The Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer serves as an expert on a wide range of legislative subject-matter areas of interest to the federal judiciary; serves as Acting Legislative Affairs Officer during the absence of the Legislative Affairs Officer; and represents the Legislative Affairs Officer at senior-level agency meetings and committee meetings.
• The incumbent must have excellent legal research and analytical skills and should possess strong professional management, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills.
• The ideal candidate must have experience in providing analysis of complex legal and legislative issues for executive-level decision-makers and exercising sound judgment to negotiate solutions and execute decisions on behalf of executive-level officials.
• The duties of the Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer include, but are not limited to: Assisting the Legislative Affairs Officer in planning, developing, coordinating, advising, and directing the activities of the office.
• Advising the Legislative Affairs Officer and OLA team on strategic decisions and oversight activities of the Judicial Conference Committees on the Judicial Branch and Federal-State Jurisdiction.
• Providing legal and legislative advice and recommendations to office and agency officials on legislative matters of importance to the judiciary.
• Identifying and developing sound strategies to resolve legislative issues of importance to the judiciary.
• Building relationships and coordinating regularly with Hill staff, judiciary stakeholders, and AO leadership.
• Providing leadership, management, supervision, and coordination to attorneys, paralegals, and support staff.
• Responding to legislative inquiries from the Congress, the AO Director, judges, court officers, and others.
• Attending congressional meetings, hearings, briefings on behalf of the judiciary.

Requirements

• CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT All information is subject to verification.
• Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
• Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO.
• If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation.
• Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/.
• For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
• All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check.
• New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit ***
• All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
• You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor.
• Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.
• If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Education

Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).

Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions.

It is available for your review on OPM's website at ***

How you will be evaluated

We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job.

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification.

If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience.

Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit.

Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.

Documents you must provide

• Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications.
• MTQ Narrative - Statement addressing the MTQs Current or former career AOES/SES members - Provide a copy of your AOES/SES appointment SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), and an SF-50 showing current career AOES/SES status or reinstatement eligibility.
• Applicants who have successfully completed an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) - Submit a copy of your CDP certification.
• ECQ Narrative - A narrative response as part of the application package for each of the following ECQs is mandatory for all applicants who are not current or former career AOES/SES members, and/or completed an OPM approved CDP.
• Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume.
• Current or former Federal Civilian employees - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action)to verify current or former Federal employment status.
• Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.

What to expect next

After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and referral to the hiring official if determined qualified. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.

Additional information

The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.